L'Invité highlights the 50th anniversary of the Québec Government Office in Paris

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Québec Government Office in Paris, L’Invité, a program that airs on TV5Monde, will be in Québec from April 18 to 22 to interview major players in Québec-France relations.

Show host Patrick Simonin will talk with five key figures in Québec who embody the close ties that exist between Québec and France:

Premier Jean Charest who, along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, signed the Québec – France Understanding on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications

Luc Plamondon, author of the musicals Starmania and Notre-Dame de Paris and lyricist for many singers in Québec and France

Paul Gérin-Lajoie, who initiated and signed the first cooperation agreements between Québec and France, authored the doctrine giving legal status to Québec’s international initiatives and pioneered the concept of La Francophonie

Daniel Gélinas, Director of the International Québec City Summer Festival, who played a decisive role in the success of Québec City’s 400th anniversary celebrations in 2008, in which France participated extensively

Robert Charlebois, an icon of Québec song in France.

Guests on Simonin’s program L’Invité are international Francophone personalities who are deeply involved in political, economic, scientific and cultural current affairs. The show is also broadcast in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Orient, Latin America and the United States, and is accessible on the TV5Monde website. It bears mentioning that the Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, was a guest on L’Invité during her mission to France last November.

The Québec Government Office turns 50

The Québec Government Office in Paris was officially opened in 1961 by Premier Jean Lesage and French Minister of Culture André Malraux. It has played a crucial role in building the direct and privileged relations that prevail between Québec and France. A number of events throughout 2011 will showcase the 50-year relationship. The schedule of activities is available at www.quebec.fr/50 (in French).